The story of the Northern Ithmia is one of strife, and one of healing. Sister to the Western and Eastern Ithmia, she can be a gloomy place to wander, but the wild beauty and intriguing mysteries of this place emerge if you look closely enough. One such secret, now revealed, is a fallen marble idol, once the hiding place of the Infernus Occulum, an ancient artefact involved in the birth of Keresis, Goddess of Vengeance.
Northern Ithmia is bound on the west and south by the Zaphar River and its tributary; and on the north and east by roads. Populated by a variety of wildlife, including elk, tengu and lamassu, the forest is watched over by the spirit Thalia. Sallust, a wretched old man, has made his home in this forest. Travellers may also encounter the small but dangerous buckawns, who scout the area from their home base nearby in Forest Watch. Located at the heart of the forest is the city of Hashan, Crown of the Ithmia.
In the 220s, Hashan experienced a great deal of expansion from its more secluded nature as a small village into an urban city. Claiming portions of the forest and then destroying them to make way for the growing city, the project greatly angered Gaia, the Earthmother, and left many forestals begrudging both the citizens and their patron, Twilight. But as time passed the Ithmia began to heal, and the land to recover. Many saplings can now be found throughout the forest, growing bravely as a testament to the ongoing cycle of life and the forest's ability to overcome hardship.